This invention creates simulant materials that supply a characteristic headspace (vapor) signature of explosives. The invention could be used in training, such as the training of detecting dogs, or for calibration and benchmarking, such as for analytical instrumentation. The simulant materials are safe for handling and storage being non-detonable and non-explosive.
With the increase in terrorist activities, legitimate demand for access to explosives or explosive signature material has come from law enforcement agencies and from private entities training detection canines or calibrating or creating libraries for explosive detection instrumentation. Many explosives are too hazardous to handle by routine trainers or instrumentation personnel or the facility where such handling would take place is not licensed or appropriately protected to acquire or store such hazardous material.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,359,936, 5,413,812, and 5,648,636 from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory disclose explosive simulants comprising a quantity of an explosive material and a quantity of a non-explosive material mix in proportions such that it produces at least the scent and elemental equivalents to said explosive material, without being capable of detonating. These patents state they are not applicable to primary explosives. It is claimed that the simulants to give off signature vapor at room temperature. Since the product releases vapor at room temperature, there is potential of cross-contamination during storage. Furthermore, these materials create explosive dust.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,932,089, and 8,173,430 as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0199936 disclose simulants for primary explosives comprised of one part primary explosive material and one part inert, non-explosive compound. The inert compound can be a polymer, inert powder, or a mixture of both. The finished product is specified to be devoid of non-inherently associated volatiles and in the form of a homogenous, flexible, and non-particulate material. The product releases vapor at room temperature which leads to the potential of cross-contamination during storage.
US. Patents Application Publication No. 2009/0194744 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,628 disclose energetically-inert pseudo-scents of an explosive comprising among other things a non-energetic component having similar electronic properties and a de-energized derivative of an energetic material. The disclosed claim of the need for matched electronic properties and de-energized explosives is not relevant to producing simulant scents.
There remains a need therefore, for a safe form of the hazardous material that is non-explosive and may be safely shipped and handled by canine trainers and instrument manufacturers.